Never, never, never underestimate the courage of the Northlanders.
This was what Putilai told Thales six years ago after a near-death game in the Palace of Heroes. His Highness the Prince at that time believed deeply.
But at this moment, looking at King Charman sitting peacefully in the carriage, Thales discovered with horror: he still didn't understand the weight of these words.
King Charman looked at him coldly, with a look of scrutiny in his eyes.
Just like the first time they met six years ago.
In the past six years, Thales imagined countless times: the terrifying new king stood at the highest point of Black Sand City, looking at the direction of Longxiao City with cold eyes, and slowly issued dangerous orders to deal with the Prince of Stars.
.
But even if Thales racked his brains and exhausted his thoughts, he could not imagine that their reunion six years later would actually be like this.
"you……"
Thales' eyes widened and he couldn't believe the facts in front of him: "Are you crazy?"
King Charman did not answer, his eyes were cold.
Thales looked around subconsciously.
"Don't worry," King Charman's cold and vicissitudes of voice sounded: "It's just you and me."
There was only a small window in the dark carriage, which was covered with gray one-way crystal glass.
The Grand Duke's bodyguards headed by Justin, as well as the prince's own bodyguards, were still standing around, tightly surrounding the Black Sand Leader's delegation consisting of more than a dozen soldiers.
Thales stopped looking around. He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and started working on his brain.
What's the situation now?
Lumba, come to Longxiao City in person?
And, the most important thing is...
Thales stared at King Charman in front of him, breaking into a cold sweat unknowingly.
No one in Exeter knew that the ruler of the entire kingdom was hiding incognito in this small envoy headed by Viscount Candar.
That is to say...
The prince swallowed a sip of saliva, gritted his teeth and said, "Do you know what will happen to an overconfident and arrogant person who leaves many guards and goes deep into dangerous places to raise the king of Exeter?"
Thales got over the initial shock, frowned, and adjusted his tone to the most natural state:
"Here's a hint: his name starts with n."
King Charman snorted softly, without discerning his emotion.
"Of course, I know him. I know him too well. I have grown up listening to his stories and looking up to his image. Unlike you, I only knew him for just one day."
Thales frowned slightly, thinking of the unforgettable old king.
"So I know that if he hadn't done that back then, his end would have been worse." The new king said calmly.
Thales took a deep breath. Knowing the threat from the other party, he decided not to talk nonsense and get to the point.
"All I have to do now is to yell," Thales leaned back in the carriage and spoke calmly: "The prestigious Charmaine I will evaporate from this world, like the melting snow in early spring, leaving no trace whatsoever.
Neither Kandar nor Croash can save you."
He squinted his eyes and tried his best to observe the king's expression in the dim light: "And the Regent of Lisban will probably happily tell the whole country with tears in his eyes that the Black Sand Territory's envoy unfortunately encountered bandits on the way back."
"Longxiao City deeply regrets this."
Snapped!
The king's hand claps tightly on the scabbard.
Following the instructions of Nikolai, Huaiya and others over the past six years, Thales stared firmly at Lumba's shoulder, and at the same time, intentionally or unintentionally, he moved his hand back to his thigh, close to the J dagger on his waist.
In a small carriage, a long sword would be nothing but a burden, and...
Thales glanced at the car door with his peripheral vision: he jumped out of the car immediately, I won.
However, the scene he imagined did not happen after all.
King Charmaine took a step forward, and his sharp and cold eyes looked directly at Thales very close at hand, making the latter feel even more stressed.
"Indeed," the king nodded slowly, "if I died here without any explanation, no one would know, I would be unable to hold anyone responsible, and there would be no comment, there would be no consequences that could not be dealt with. Isn't this something that the great dukes in the country would dream of even more?
.”
King Charmaine gently tapped the old scabbard between his knees.
Boom, boom, boom.
"Longxiao City can probably breathe a sigh of relief. The hatred that cannot be expressed in words can be washed away, and the immediate threat has been eliminated."
"All the grand dukes who participated in that King Selection, Ronnie, Leko... can also be liberated from the heavy shackles and burdens."
"The struggle between a certain renegade king and the princes came to an end, and Exeter, who had been troubled for six years, returned to his old outlook."
Boom, boom, boom.
The king's eye sockets narrowed slightly, as if to see Thales more clearly. He only heard him slow down his speech and say one sentence after another: "And that special prince of the stars no longer has to worry about his most dangerous enemy."
Thales' Adam's apple moved slightly, and the young prince looked at the enemy unwillingly.
The sound of King Charmaine tapping the scabbard suddenly stopped.
His face suddenly turned cold.
"but……"
Oh shit.
I know there is a "but".
Thales snorted coldly in his heart, remembering the scene where he often used this word to tease a certain girl, pouring cold water on her when she was most happy, and making her leave angrily. He couldn't help but think of the phrase "retribution is not good".
talk.
"If you do that, the smart prince may win this piece, but he will ultimately lose the whole game."
His Majesty the King said coldly: "You and the Grand Duchess with you have all been completely defeated."
Thales paused slightly.
He gently clenched his fists, wondering.
What?
Myself, Grand Duchess? Clean?
"Do you want to see the head of the Grand Duchess pierced by a spear and erected on the wall of Longxiao City?"
The king said calmly: "Then just call for help and surround me here. Don't hesitate."
At that moment, the air in the car suddenly became thick and stagnant.
Thales bit his lower lip and took a deep breath.
"What do you mean, Rumba?"
The prince gritted his teeth: "What exactly do you want?"
Thales saw the unsmiling King Charmaine raise the corners of his mouth in a rare gesture.
"It seems that you have lived a good life in Longxiao City in the past six years," King Charman leaned back again, with an indifferent expression: "My people are rewarded every year: the relationship between the Grand Duchess and the prince is very close, almost as good as
Lover."
Thales frowned in pain, unable to refute.
"but I?"
"In the past six years, I, as the king of Exeter, have been like a fisherman fishing on the ice, trembling and cautious," King Charman looked out of the carriage and said with emotion: "While thinking
Trying to catch those hateful fish to feed themselves while trying not to become their food in the water."
"So far, it seems that you have done quite well," Thales added dissatisfiedly: "Otherwise, when the whole country is condemning you, you would not have the leisure to come to Longxiao City to reminisce with me. By the way, the Freedom Alliance is
That's a good move, using an imminent war to embarrass both Qiyuan City and Longxiao City."
King Charman chuckled and snorted again.
"That's just an appearance, Thales, you all know it." The king acquiesced to Thales' identification, only to hear him calmly say: "Six years later, the ideal Exeter has become farther and farther away from me.
Already."
Prince of Stars was slightly startled.
Selma.
Thales grasped the point keenly: why did he bring up Selma?
"Tiles."
"This 'errand' you found for me six years ago," the king raised his right hand and pointed at his temple hair, showing a circle of shallow marks on his face caused by the crown, "is not a good job."
"Almost all the Grand Dukes regard me as an enemy. Not to mention the four people back then, the three who failed to come to participate in the King Selection also complained a lot."
"All the laws I tried to implement were very difficult, and there was considerable resistance even within the Black Sand Territory."
"Ronnie and Lecco ran around crying, jointly denouncing the king's injustice."
"My vassals are boiling with resentment and ready to take action."
King Charmaine sighed softly.
"'Parricide'," the king lowered his head slightly and looked at his sword: "This is the nickname they gave me. Even the most vulgar commoners are laughing about this title even if my decree can increase their harvest.
Thirty percent, even if my order allows them to avoid the exploitation of tax collectors and the oppression of lords, even if everything I do is to enable these humble and insignificant people to obtain their own future, however..."
The king remained silent. He gently stroked his sword, his eyes growing colder.
"They're still against me."
"Perhaps one day, my authority hidden in the crown will be wiped out, the decrees issued will also become waste paper, and I will die without food in an isolated city under siege? I don't know."
Thales sighed.
"That's because you are trying to use new standards to ennoble the nobility, change the status quo of power distribution, and change everyone's future."
"You try to make a group of people who are accustomed to the present and the past believe that the unfamiliar future will be better, and make another group of people give up everything they are enjoying."
"Even when the resources are the most abundant, the food is the most abundant, and the conditions are the most mature, for most people, this is something that is difficult to imagine," the prince shook his head:
"And you want to use six years to complete what Mindis III failed to accomplish in more than a hundred years?"
Thales raised his head and looked seriously at the former Lumba and now His Majesty Charman: "This is the price."
The carriage fell into silence.
King Charman stared at him intently.
The two men looked at each other for five seconds, until the king laughed slowly.
"Look, I know it was right to come to you. You are one of the few people who can understand me." King Charman's smile was very cold, making people unconsciously nervous. This made Thales realize that because of the new title
, the majesty of Heisha Grand Duke is also increasing day by day:
"Not everyone can participate in this kind of dialogue, not even someone as smart as Lhasa."
Thales sneered and shook his head.
"Rumba."
"Before I impatiently call the people outside, save the nonsense," the prince's tone became stronger:
"Why did you come to me?"
"What do you mean by those words just now? What do you mean by 'losing the entire chess game'?"
King Charman did not answer immediately, and his increasingly weathered face showed a look of both humor and sarcasm.
"Guess, Thales," the king said calmly: "As before, aren't you the best at this?"
Seeing the king's prepared and unhurried demeanor, Thales became increasingly irritated and tried hard to convince himself not to be impulsive.
Damn it.
What makes him so bold? What makes him so reliable?
No.
Whatever he wants...
"Obviously, the Freedom Alliance is not enough to take away the hind legs of Qiyuan City and Longxiao City," Thales leaned on the leather backrest, thoughtfully: "In order to save yourself from the predicament that thousands of people have pointed out, you
We need to add more fire, so you want to start from Longxiao City."
"I guess the marriage of the Grand Duke? Do you want to use her to plunge Longxiao City, the greatest threat, into internal strife?"
Thales raised his head coldly: "Once he loses external support, the king can easily extinguish the resentment and dissatisfaction of the vassals in the Black Sand Territory, allowing your decree to pass unimpeded."
King Charman's expression remained unchanged, noncommittal.
"Speaking of Archduchess Walton, I have a question." Unexpectedly, the king pushed aside the sword on his knees, freeing his hands.
Charmaine Lombard put his elbows on his knees and looked at ease. He asked in an unguarded manner: "How did Nunn turn you into his ally and make you willingly side with Dragon Sky City?"
Thales shook his head unceremoniously: "He didn't turn me into an ally, it was you who forced me to stand on the side of Longxiao City, remember? Someone wanted to frame the Prince of Stars for his great cause of founding the country, but in the end
Are you reaping the consequences?"
As soon as he said this, Thales saw with satisfaction that King Charman's originally peaceful face turned much uglier.
"My guess: He made you a promise."
The king ignored his sarcasm, but Thales could feel that Lumba's tone became colder:
"An engagement, right?"
Thales took a breath.
"I know that when the bloodline is cut off, Nunn must promise to marry his granddaughter to you in exchange for the protection of the future king of the stars?"
Thales clenched his fists unconsciously again.
"That's why you care so much about the Grand Duchess's marriage?"
King Charmaine's speech became more and more rapid, and the pressure on people gradually increased: "Do you think she is your fiancée, your treasure, and an important chess piece for the stars to control Exeter?"
"However, she is now faced with..."
Thales clenched his fist and chuckled.
"I admire your imagination very much, Lumba," the prince sneered and shook his head: "Do you really think that an heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Stars can marry the Grand Duchess of Longxiao City in Exeter?"
The king curled his lips: "If King Nun is still alive, maybe."
Just listen to Charmaine I whisper: "But my uncle still made a good deal. Even after his accidental death, the gift from the late king got an unexpected gift in return: under the shining of the stars, the dragon spear could not be seen.
Survive unpredictable riptides and storms.”
"You tried your best, broke the rules, and supported her to sit on the throne of the Grand Duchess. In the past six years, you, Lisban and others did everything possible to help her gain a foothold. Even after the death of Nunn, such a devastating disaster, you did your best to maintain the dragon's power.
The stability of Xiaocheng.”
In the carriage, the king slowly leaned forward and stared at the heir to the stars.
"Even if you know the girl sitting on the Grand Duke's throne," he spoke word by word, with shocking accents:
"Not the real Walton bloodline at all."
At that moment, Thales' muscles all over his body tightened!
He got it.
He got it!
There has never been a moment when Thales, who was always good at thinking and dealing with things calmly, wanted to turn against him immediately and use violence to solve the problem.
The image of the helpless and sobbing little slippery boy appeared in Thales' mind.
He unconsciously touched his dagger.
Charmaine Lombard.
kill him.
kill him!
Now.
Keep this secret forever...
The prince took a deep breath, and the sins of the Hell River poured out of his body, not to his limbs, but to his brain.
The last remaining trace of reason, under the influence of the Sin of the Prison River, returned to Thales's heart, like a traveler clinging to a cliff, telling him hoarsely: Calm down.
The enemy comes prepared.
King Charmaine sighed.
"You know, Ms. Cassian told me a lot of things," the king shook his head: "For example, the real direct bloodline of the Walton family has been extinct."
"Once her identity is revealed," he said calmly: "What will be the fate waiting for her?"
"Think about it," Charman's words were like a dose of fatal poison, spreading in Thales's heart: "In front of the spokesperson of the God of the Bright Moon, he pretended to be the Grand Duke of Longxiao City and deceived the entire Exter...
…”
Thales slowly raised his head.
The prince swallowed softly.
But he is far from as calm as he appears.
This is Selma's greatest weakness...
Too……
So, this is what Charmaine Lombard is for.
Come to me with this secret?
Damn it.
hateful!
what to do.
what to do?
Thales's heartbeat became faster and faster, almost uncontrollable.
King Charman observed the reaction of the Star Prince with great interest.
But he was disappointed. Although the prince was usually more silent, his expression remained as usual.
It seems that what just came out of the king's mouth was not a major event that could shock the entire Exeter.
The next second, Thales closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"You have been complaining about your current situation just now, but you reminded me of a very interesting thing, Your Majesty."
The king narrowed his eyes and looked strangely at the second prince opening his eyes, and said in the calmest and calmest tone as if nothing had happened:
"Back then, in the six-person king-selection meeting, you were chosen as the next king."
"So," Thales shrugged easily and said, "If the vote of one of the Grand Dukes proves to be invalid..."
King Charman's expression changed.
"Then you won the throne by just one vote," the prince said calmly, releasing his counterattack:
"Is it still legal and reasonable?"
"Your Majesty Charmaine?"
The next second, King Charman suddenly clenched his fists as if he had been hit.
His eyes returned to the coldness and ferocity that Thales was familiar with.
Like the Grand Duke of Lombard back then.
The car fell into suffocating silence again.
Until one party breaks it.
"Ha ha ha ha……"
The corners of the king's mouth curled up and he laughed loudly.
"So, you've confirmed it," King Charman tapped his knees gently, looking at Thales as if looking at a bird that couldn't escape the prey: "Is this true?"
Lombard said coldly: "She is indeed not the real Walton."
"Right?"
At that moment, Thales's expression suddenly changed!